Written Answers Friday 3 October 2008

Scottish Executive

Alcohol

George Foulkes (Lothians) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what consideration it has given to whether the proposed ban on alcohol sales to 18 to 21-year-olds is compatible with the European Convention on Human Rights.

Shona Robison: The Scottish Government has given this full consideration and is content that the proposal to raise the legal age for off-sales purchases of alcohol to 21 is compatible with the European Convention on Human Rights.

Ambulance Service

Patricia Ferguson (Glasgow Maryhill) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-15883 by Shona Robison on 12 September 2008, whether it will provide details of the factors other than the price of fuel that are taken into account by the Scottish Ambulance Service when considering mileage rates for volunteer ambulance drivers.

Shona Robison: Other than fuel costs, which includes both diesel and petrol, the factors taken in to account are maintenance costs, car tax and car insurance.

Ambulance Service

Patricia Ferguson (Glasgow Maryhill) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-15883 by Shona Robison on 12 September 2008, whether it is content that the current mileage rates for volunteer ambulance drivers are sufficient.

Shona Robison: This is an operational matter for the Scottish Ambulance Service (SAS) and I am content with the assurances from them that the rate is sufficient to cover costs associated with the service provided, but the SAS will keep this rate under review.

Ambulance Service

Patricia Ferguson (Glasgow Maryhill) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-13596 by Shona Robison on 5 June 2008, whether it communicated to the Scottish Ambulance Service the expectation that, given the continuing increase in fuel costs, mileage rates for volunteer ambulance drivers would increase.

Shona Robison: The answers to all parliamentary questions that are related to their operation are communicated to the Scottish Ambulance Service.

Ambulance Service

Patricia Ferguson (Glasgow Maryhill) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-13596 by Shona Robison on 5 June 2008, which expressed an expectation that, given the continuing increase in fuel costs, mileage rates for volunteer ambulance drivers would increase, why the rates remained unchanged when the AA reported an increase in average prices between May and July 2008.

Shona Robison: The rates remain unchanged because they continue to cover costs.

Ambulance Service

Patricia Ferguson (Glasgow Maryhill) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-15883 by Shona Robison on 12 September 2008, whether it is content that the method of calculating mileage rates for volunteer ambulance drivers provides a rate sufficient to cover the costs associated with the service provided.

Shona Robison: This is an operational matter for the Scottish Ambulance Service and I am content with the assurances from them that the method used provides a rate sufficient to cover costs associated with the service provided. The service will continue to review the rates on a monthly basis.

Ambulance Service

Patricia Ferguson (Glasgow Maryhill) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-15883 by Shona Robison on 2 September 2008, whether it plans to review the method of calculating mileage rates for volunteer ambulance drivers.

Shona Robison: No. The method used to calculate mileage rates for volunteer ambulance drivers is an operational matter for the Scottish Ambulance Service.

  The service will continue to review the rates on a monthly basis.

Housing

Mary Mulligan (Linlithgow) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how much money will be available in 2009-10 for the Homeowners’ Support Fund.

Stewart Maxwell: At the end of June 2008 we announced a package of major reforms which included £25 million between 2008-10 to support the Homeowners Support Fund. £10 million has already been allocated in 2008-09 for Mortgage to Rent. The balance of the £25 million announced will be made available in 2009-10.

Housing

Mary Mulligan (Linlithgow) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how much funding will be available in 2009-10 to support first-time buyers.

Stewart Maxwell: The allocation of the 2009-10 Affordable Housing Investment Programme (AHIP) which includes support to first-time buyers will be announced nearer the time.

Housing

Ken Macintosh (Eastwood) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how much of the £60 million central funding for affordable housing brought forward from 2010-11, as announced by the First Minister on 19 August 2008, will be available to support housing in East Renfrewshire.

Stewart Maxwell: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-15759 on 16 September 2008. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk./webapp/wa.search .

Housing

Ken Macintosh (Eastwood) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers that the building standards that came into force in 2007 should replace the Housing for Varying Needs standard as the standard for new-build housing association properties.

Stewart Maxwell: There are no proposals at present to replace the current Housing for Varying Needs standard for new properties built by housing associations. As part of the package of further action on housing announced on 19 August we have however agreed with Scottish Federation of Housing Associations to relax the usual Housing for Varying Needs requirement to assist in the purchase of unsold stock from private developers, subject to conditions. These conditions include the agreement of the local authority.

Mental Health

Willie Coffey (Kilmarnock and Loudoun) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many older people are affected by clinical depression.

Shona Robison: The total number of older people affected by clinical depression is not recorded centrally. It is generally acknowledged that a large proportion of people with depression remain with their condition unrecognised and untreated.

  To address this the Scottish Government and local partners continue campaigns to end stigma and discrimination of mental ill health and to encourage those in need of help to seek help. We are also investing £3 million in new innovative approaches, with a focus on self help, to better reach and support those with anxiety or depression.

  Estimates drawn from a sample of general practices in Scotland indicates that 23,000 patients over age 65 were recorded with depression by GPs or practice nurses in 2006-07. This figure of course does not capture those with depression who do not seek help from the support agencies.

Mental Health

Willie Coffey (Kilmarnock and Loudoun) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what proportion of older people affected by clinical depression seek treatment.

Shona Robison: The total number of older people affected by clinical depression is not recorded centrally.

  Estimates drawn from a sample of general practices in Scotland indicates that 23,000 patients over age 65 consulted their GP or practice nurse in 2006-07 because of depression. This figure captures those in the range from mild, short-lived depression to severe, chronic depression.

  Those presenting to and supported by specialist services in primary care and services out primary care are not included in this estimate.

  The Scottish Government and local partners continue campaigns to end stigma and discrimination of mental ill health and to encourage those in need of help to seek help. We are also investing £3 million in new innovative approaches, with a focus on self help, to better reach and support those with anxiety or depression.

Mental Health

Willie Coffey (Kilmarnock and Loudoun) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what proportion of older people treated for clinical depression make a full recovery.

Shona Robison: It is difficult to estimate the numbers of those making a full recovery given the range of possible reasons for non presentation following initial contact and support.

  The 2003-06 Scottish Government Doing Well by People with Depression initiative which is now carried forward in local areas did show improvement in some patients from presentation to discharge across all the pilot sites. The difficulty with definitive data extends here also however with some patients for example declining to continue contact with the initiative as they did not wish to recall or revisit that period of their depression.

  The Scottish Government are investing £3 million in new innovative approaches, with a focus on self help, to better reach and support those with anxiety or depression. Attention also continues on reducing anti-depressant prescribing and offering alternatives to medication and on campaigns to encourage those in need of help to seek help.

Mental Health

Willie Coffey (Kilmarnock and Loudoun) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to improve the diagnosis and treatment of depression among older people.

Shona Robison: We are working with GPs so that new patients with depression receive a formal assessment using a standardised tool and matched therapy appropriate to the level of need.

  The GP contract provides additional resources to practices to make objective assessments to assess the severity of depression and provide appropriate information on interventions including self help, life style advice and other evidence based interventions such as exercise. The pharmacy contract also enables some pharmacists to advise on mental health and wellbeing issues.

  Our published standards for Integrated approaches to the treatment of depression will also inform all practitioners on expectations. We have also published a short summary sheet on the overall attention underway and planned on raising awareness and responding better on depression, including £3 million investment in new innovative approaches for service users.

Mental Health

Willie Coffey (Kilmarnock and Loudoun) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what training and development is available to GPs to enable them to recognise and treat older people with depression.

Shona Robison: GPs as independent contractors are expected to identify, assess and address their own training and educational needs aligned to the needs of their patients. On-going attention will include consideration of needs for the identification, treatment and recovery expectations for those with depression.

  Learning needs are also highlighted and discussed at the contractually required GP annual appraisals. Other parts of the GP practice contract also assist in the learning process such as significant event analyses.

  GPs are supported in addressing their training needs by their NHS board, through protected learning time initiatives. Other help and support is offered through directors of GP post graduate education; NHS Education; Royal College of General Practitioners; NHS elibrary services; special colleagues, and others.

  Our published standards for Integrated approaches to the treatment of depression will also inform all practitioners on expectations. We have also published a short summary sheet on the overall attention underway and planned on raising awareness and responding better on depression, including £3 million investment in new innovative approaches for service users.

Ministerial Visits

George Foulkes (Lothians) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what overseas visits have been undertaken by each minister since May 2007; what class of travel was used in each case, and what the total cost was of each trip, including the costs of officials accompanying each minister.

Linda Fabiani: The information requested cannot be obtained at proportionate cost.

  However, I will as part of a routine exercise be releasing shortly information on each ministerial visit overseas undertaken from 1 April 2007 to 31 March 2008. The information will include the dates of each visit, the minister, the reason for travelling, the number of officials accompanying the minister and the overall cost to the minister.

  Information on ministerial visits overseas undertaken during the financial year 2008-09 will be published on the Scottish Government website in due course, this information will include the dates of each visit, the minister, the reason for travelling, the number of officials accompanying the minister and the overall cost to the minister.

NHS Staff

Claire Baker (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many student nurses have benefited from the one year job guarantee scheme.

Nicola Sturgeon: Between 2002, when the initiative was introduced, and 29 September 2008, 53 full and part-time newly qualified nurses and midwives benefited from the one year job guarantee scheme. This is broken down as follows:

  

 2002
 2003
 2004
 2005
 2006
 2007
 2008 to date


 0 
 9 
 1 
 3 
 18 
 13 
 9 



  The number of students recruited to pre-registration nursing and midwifery programmes is linked to the nursing and midwifery workforce planning process for Scotland. Most newly qualified nurses are therefore able to find employment through their own means, in their locality and area of expertise. The one year job guarantee is for the few students who, for some reason or another, are unable to secure employment in this manner.

Pre-School Education

George Foulkes (Lothians) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will consider the provision of nursery places for two-year-olds on the basis of parental requests.

Adam Ingram: The early years framework, which is being developed jointly with COSLA, will be published later this year. It will set the long term direction of policy and consider the range of services needed to support young children and their families and help end cycles of poverty, disadvantage and ill-health.

  A key focus of this work is implementing existing pre-school commitments and examining targeted additional services for vulnerable 0-3s. Over 2000 two-year-olds are currently in pre-school nursery places

School Meals

Marlyn Glen (North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3O-4300 by Fiona Hyslop on 25 September 2008, what the estimated cost is to each local authority of extending entitlement to free school meals to all primary and secondary pupils whose parents or carers are in receipt of maximum child and working tax credit

Adam Ingram: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-11245 on 16 April 2008. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search .

Correction

The reply to question S3W-15148 which was originally answered on 6 August 2008, has been corrected: see page 4360 or http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/business/pqa/wa-08/wa1001.